The James A. Garfield School was a former school building located at 840 Waterman Street in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. It is also known as the Frank H. Beard School. It was one of the oldest existing schools in the city of Detroit, as well as one of the least altered. Frank H. Beard School
from the city of Detroit The school was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1984, but caught fire and was demolished in 2022.

History

In 1885, a section of Springwells Township was annexed to the city of Detroit. This section included two elementary schools, requiring the township to construct a new school for the remaining population. In 1886 a four-room schoolhouse was constructed at this site and named for president

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

. The surrounding area was booming, however, and by 1895 the original school was overcrowded. In 1896 it was torn down, and a new Garfield School, designed by

Malcomson and Higginbotham Malcomson and Higginbotham was an architectural firm started in the nineteenth century and based in Detroit, Michigan. A successor firm, Malcomson-Greimel and Associates, still exists in Rochester, Michigan as of 2010. History Architects William G. ...

, was constructed. An addition was constructed in 1900. In 1907, the Springwells School District merged with the schools of Detroit.James A. Garfield School
from Detroit1701.org After the merger, the city found that there were now two James A. Garfield Schools in the district, and name of the building was changed to honor Frank H. Beard, the director of the Springwells school board for 17 years. Beard Elementary School moved to a different address and by 2004 became Roberto Clemente Learning Academy. As the neighborhood changed, enrollment declined. By 2008, the building housed the Beard Early Childhood Center. The school closed permanently in 2014. In the early morning hours of July 27, 2022, the building caught fire and sustained considerable damage. The remainder of the school was demolished in October.

Description

The brick school was built in the Victorian Romanesque style. The symmetrical front façade was organized into five bays, with the central and end bays projecting outward and the other two receding.Garfield, James A., School
from the state of Michigan The entrances were topped with semi-circular arches, and the structure boasted a variety of window shapes and sizes. The elaborate brickwork, multi-planed roofline, and the red brick tower conveyed the importance the community attached to public education. An addition to the original school was built in 1900.

References

External links

Roberto Clemente Academy (current building)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garfield, James A., School Schools in Detroit School buildings completed in 1896 Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Defunct schools in Michigan 1896 establishments in Michigan Public elementary schools in Michigan Detroit Public Schools Community District School buildings completed in 1886 2014 disestablishments in Michigan Educational institutions disestablished in 2014 Educational institutions established in 1886 Buildings and structures demolished in 2022